Samsung’s Note 7 Banned from all US Flights as Hazardous Material

Don’t worry about powering down your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 before getting on your flight because the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration just banned the smartphone from all flights. As of Friday afternoon, the fire-prone Note 7 is classified as “forbidden hazardous material,” and come Saturday can’t be transported in your carry-on or checked luggage.

DoT and FAA ban Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 from all flights

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a statement Friday afternoon saying,

Individuals who own or possess a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device may not transport the device on their person, in carry-on baggage, or in checked baggage on flights to, from, or within the United States. This prohibition includes all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices. The phones also cannot be shipped as air cargo. The ban will be effective on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at noon ET.

The full-on transport ban comes in the wake of Samsung’s Note 7 smartphones turning into pocket-size bombs that have burned people, cars, and homes. The problem first surfaced a few weeks ago shortly after the Note 7 shipped, and continued with replacement models Samsung told customers wouldn’t have the same problem. It turns out the replacements were catching fire, too.

The DOT and FAA are serious about the ban and will block any passengers from boarding a plane if they have a Note 7 in their possession. Trying to sneak one onto a plane could land you in jail facing Federal charges.

“The fire hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replacement Note 7 is simply too great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall,” said U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Elliot F. Kaye justified.

Samsung is already facing financial losses in the billions of dollars over the Note 7 and has officially discontinued the model. Since the ban noticed will be displayed in airports around the country Samsung will get some free publicity, but it doesn’t sound much like the kind of publicity the company wants.